Sony Vaio in freak beer accident

[Spotting Bad Guys]

Morning chaps

I've managed to b*****r up my very reliable but sadly aging Sony Vaio FX-401 (five years old but still doing well) in a somewhat clumsy manner.... I dropped a glass of beer about three feet from the laptop and a couple of splashes made it to the keyboard.

Now the keyboard doesn't work - it won't reposnd to key presses although I get the message "Word has noticed you are pressing the CTRL key. Do you want to start in safe mode?" so clearly there are phantom key presses being detected.

So the exam question is this: is it worth taking to PC World (or wherever) to get it fixed - assuming it CAN be fixed - or should I buy a new one?

It's in use every day - browsing, e-mail and office-type stuff. I travel fairly frequently and it comes with me most places I go, leaving 'er indoors with the PC.

Advice?

Cheers

SBG

[airborne_artist]

I'd suggest searching ebay for one with a similar keyboard (processor etc. need not be the same) and then go to the repair guy (not PC World, but the guy in the corner shop in the cheap part of town) and ask him to make one good out of the two.

I've seen loads on ebay with dud screens (the expensive bit) go for £30.00 or so.

Try a seach "sony vaio spares" to start with.

[sixmilehighclub]

Buy an external keyboard, plug it into the USB port (you can always get an adapter to increase the number of ports).

My last laptop gradually deteriorated. First the keys were sticking, then the mousepad failed, then I had to press 6 buttons to get it started, then eventually the adapter blew up (yep, sparks and flames). Figured I should let it rest. Bought a Viao instead! There are some great deals out there at the moment.

[ORAC]

Take it out and have a go at cleaning it. If not, as said above, buy a cheap USB keybard to replace it. If you don´t mind spending 20-25 quid, buy a replacement, the part number is KFRGBA037A.

[Spotting Bad Guys]

Thanks Lady and Gents for the speedy replies - it's been quite a sad 36 hours as the old girl and I have been through a few interesting places together and the thought of consigning my trusty Vaio to the bin just doesn't bear thinking about! Considering that we've been shot at and mortared, and it's so full of Middle East dust and other c**p it's a wonder it even boots up...Sigh....maybe should have put this in Agony Aunt!

Anyway - the cover's coming off tonight for a good poke around (ooh-er) and hopefully a clean or perhaps a replacement keyboard will do the trick.

Mind you, I've just been looking at one of those nice new Macbooks....;)

SBG

Edited to add: Hey, Six - if I plug in a USB keyboard will it take precedence over the laptop's own?

[Spotting Bad Guys]

OK, so I took the keyboard off and cleaned up what I could (short of taking the keys off) - surprisingly easy really. The problem's still the same so a new keyboard is in order - thanks ORAC for the part no. I've found one for £45 and a few others more cheaply but sold out.

Thanks for the advice so far - I'll keep you posted.

SBG

[Daysleeper]

Check your household contents insurance for accidental damage?

New for Old :}

[ORAC]

Take it out again and letting it soak for a while in either some hot soapy water. Rinse with distilled water or rubbing alcohol to remove any residue, then blow dry with compressed air, then reattach.

You can do get away with this on laptop keyboards because there are no actual electrical components, just plastic films with traces. (And its b*ggered anyway, so what´s the harm.)

[ShyTorque]

Advice?

Never mind the computer..... :rolleyes:

What about the beer - did you get another one? :}

[Spotting Bad Guys]

Yep, and that's why the keyboard got fritzed - I was too busy grabbing another cold one from the beer fridge!!!! 10/10 for style but minus several million for forward thinking:ugh:

SBG

[BOFH]

ORAC has it on the nose.

Lightly soapy water, then water with a little alcohol (not beer), gently use an old toothbrush on it, you want it to look real purty. Let it dry for a while.

WAIT FOR IT!!!

WAIT FOR IT!!!

Then try. The keyboard I am using was given up for dead after a week, after a fortnight, right as rain. The day I bought a new one. :ugh:

BOFH

[stagger]

I once attempted to clean a laptop keyboard after spilling orange juice on it.
It was a Dell - so can't give you any specific advice but here's what I suggest...

- Try to find a service manual or instructions for removing the keyboard for your model on the web.

- Once you've removed the keyboard what you will usually find is that under each key is a rubber "nipple" that protects the electrical contacts underneath. Liquids can seep under the seal and inside these nipples. I tried removing the ones I knew to be problematic - cleaning underneath with alcohol then glueing the nipples back in place.

But it all ended up being so fiddly that I just ordered a new keyboard from Dell and fitted it.:rolleyes:

[Spotting Bad Guys]

Thanks to everybody for the advice - I tried cleaning the old keyboard as advised but to no avail (and I'm afraid I can't wait two weeks) so have managed to get hold of a refurbished keyboard.

Overnight delivery and the laptop is back on-line today!

Getting a keyboard for an five-year-old laptop wasn't as easy as it seemed - I wasn't too happy at trying the Ebay 'untested' offerings, but it was interesting that a couple of the companies I tried quoted £125 - £140 for the work, including parts, labour and VAT.

Now given that the part cost me £65 including shipping and VAT, and the fact it took approximately 5 minutes to remove the old keyboard and fit the new one - what kind of money must these people be making!!!???!?! :mad: A sideline beckons methinks!

Cheers
SBG